Thousands of books are being held “hostage” in a legal fight between a shopping mall and its tenant, eThekwini municipality, over millions owed in rent.
Musgrave library, housed in Glenwood Village, closed its doors “temporarily” in August after its lease expired in March last year. It gave official notice last month, but now its books and audio assets are locked in the building until the landlord is paid.
Glenwood Village centre manager Steve King said the landlord met repeatedly with the municipal district manager to deal with the outstanding rent without success.
“It’s gone legal now, and the library’s assets are under lock and key until the landlord is paid. It’s very sad; the library was an important service to the community,” he said.
The library moved from the popular Musgrave Centre to Glenwood Village in 2004. The latest library closure has sparked outrage in the community, with residents comparing the lack of funding for libraries to the municipality’s spending of R22m on statues of Oliver Tambo and Nelson Mandela.
The city closed its Windermere and Umbilo libraries in November 2021 — both were based at shopping centres — with plans to move them to council-owned properties. This didn’t materialise, and users had to visit the Musgrave library.
The total cost of recent statues [of Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo] could have funded four additional libraries within the city, inclusive of new buildings, equipment and books."
— Fran Kristopher, ward councillor
A smaller library was opened in Bulwer Park in 2023, and the municipality is now encouraging residents of Windermere, Morningside, Berea and Glenwood to use this instead, while admitting that it has limited capacity.
In response to a question about the closure from Fran Kristopher, the councillor for the ward containing the Musgrave and Umbilo libraries, parks and recreation director Simphiwe Ndlovu said the municipality could not renew the lease before it expired because of “issues of compliance by the service provider”.
“When the matter was resolved, there was a tight schedule to complete the lease renewal process. The library is closed permanently because there is no contract with the landlord,” he said.
“The Umbilo library is housed in a small building with limited capacity. Long-term results will address this. The city is considering the possibility of building a new library at Bulwer Park that will merge the Musgrave and Umbilo libraries,” Ndlovu said.
But Kristopher is not holding her breath.
“The whole issue around the lease is just shady. This library played a pivotal role as a source of information and resources to many who don’t have internet access or PCs at home. The collection of books was far more up-to-date than those found elsewhere, and some are in isiZulu.”
She said the city’s failure reflected a total disregard for heritage and resource centres and a lack of investment in the educational and informational services provided by libraries.
“The total cost of recent statues [of Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo] could have funded four additional libraries within the city, inclusive of new buildings, equipment and books."
She said thousands of residents had used the library, including pensioners from 25 retirement homes and students from several tertiary institutions in the area.
For Kagiso Phihlela, who was formerly homeless and a vendor for the Denis Hurley Centre Street Lit book-selling entrepreneurship programme, the library closure is a bitter pill.
“When I was homeless, the library gave me more than books. It gave me time. Time to sit, to think, to remember I was still human. Out there on the streets, you become invisible or unwelcome. Sometimes both. But in the library, I was just another person.
“I used my time in the library consistently well. I studied. For years I studied. I am lucky. I was able to break the cycle. I qualified, which eventually opened doors. Now I am employed as an intern teacher’s assistant in a prestigious Durban school, and I no longer live in a street shelter.
“I now am able to rent a room in the suburbs. I am living proof that a library card is a ladder. I used those computers, books and newspapers to find resources that eventually led me to this life. For me, the library was a portal to another world. It supported me and allowed me to believe another path was possible.”
Durban — South Africa’s only Unesco City of Literature — on the one hand is celebrating students with all the affiliated rhetoric about nurturing great minds of the future, while on the other hand it is needlessly closing down the very places essential for students to study — public libraries
— Illa Thompson, Street Lit
Glenwood resident Illa Thompson, who runs the Street Lit project, said the Umbilo library was “far smaller and less resourced than most nearby school libraries; it is hopelessly inadequate for the area it serves”.
She said the suburbs where thriving libraries had closed were becoming high-density student hubs.
“Durban — South Africa’s only Unesco City of Literature — on the one hand is celebrating students with all the affiliated rhetoric about nurturing great minds of the future, while on the other hand it is needlessly closing down the very places essential for students to study — public libraries.
“There is talk of the city considering a new building in Bulwer Park. Building a whole new structure in a precious city green lung is an ill-informed, impractical, absurd suggestion. There are ample appropriate buildings in the catchment area which can be repurposed in the medium term.”
Municipality spokesperson Gugu Sisilana said the city is conducting user surveys to determine user needs and to measure the libraries’ impact on the communities they serve, to assist in future plans for new facilities and the extension of existing sites.
“Discussions with traditional leadership are ongoing regarding securing land to build new library facilities, and with the support of the provincial sport, arts and culture, this will be realised soon.”
She said the city is in the process of identifying municipal-owned buildings to house libraries as “reliance on leased premises sometimes presents challenges”. Only two out of the 91 libraries are on private properties.
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